The 24-year-old Santa Cruz native is preparing for a two-month long, 3,600-mile bike ride that will take him and 99 other cyclists from various locations on the West Coast near the end of May to Washington, D.C. on Aug. 2.

"This is really my first jump into something like this," he said. "An adventure like this is something I planned to do."

The ride will raise money for Push America, a nonprofit that brings money and attention to people living with disabilities, Claiborne said.

The idea to ride didn't come from Claiborne but from his fraternity. Claiborne, a student at Cal State Long Beach, is a member of Pi Kappa Phi, a national fraternity that also runs the nonprofit, Push America.

Each year, members from the fraternity's chapters across the nation raise money and train to cycle across America. Claiborne raised roughly $3,500, with a goal of $5,500.

Claiborne is no stranger to bicycles, riding mountain bikes since he was a child growing up in Santa Cruz. But this ride meant changing gears: Swapping a mountain bike for a road bike. The difference between the two is in the weight and aerodynamic advantages.

"It's a little bit of a weird transition from the mountains to the streets, but I'm still biking and got the passion for it," he said.

While he was first dumbfounded at the idea of biking across the nation, Claiborne talked with a few other fraternity members who completed the ride in previous years. Knowing that his sweat and hard work would go toward charity, he signed up in early 2013.

The training is no light task either, with two rides of up to 70 miles each week. The rides can go for hours at a time and need to fit around his class schedule. Managing his schedule is one of the most challenging aspects of the ordeal, Claiborne said.

"You make time throughout the week where you can have five-hour periods to go and ride," he said.

While Claiborne already went into the training with a lean physique, he said he's gradually lost weight — except in his legs, which have gained muscle mass from all the pedaling.

But the weight loss isn't necessarily what he wants. In talking with past cyclists, Claiborne learned that people generally come out of this "super skinny." At 5 feet 10 inches tall and 160 pounds, he's trying to gain as much healthy weight as possible.

"I've been trying to bulk up before I leave so I'm not too skinny when I get back," he said.

The journey itself has stretches as short as 35 miles and as long as 115 miles. Although there will be a hundred people in the ride, the riders are generally split into groups of three to prevent large accidents from happening, Claiborne said.

While his body will likely be ready for the trip, it's the mental aspects he's worried about.

"When I grew up mountain bike riding, dodging trees in the forest, the mind is busy," he said. But on the open road with cars and a few other cyclists, there's no need to dodge trees and no time for idle talk.